Secret passage at Inviolata revealed: an aqueduct for the friars

A supposed secret passage at the Church of the Inviolata in Riva del Garda was not a hidden escape route for nobles or spies, but part of an underground water-supply system for the religious complex, according to a reconstruction presented by Luca Bertolini. The account also highlights the role of Giannangelo Gaudenzio Madruzzo and his wife, Alfonsina Gonzaga, in supporting and financing the church project.

Bertolini said that while underground tunnels do exist, their function differs from the legend that linked the church to the nearby Bastione. The Inviolata and its adjoining convent were entrusted to the Gerolamini friars, who lived under strict enclosure, making an escape corridor unnecessary; instead, a well in the underground area was fed by water from Maso Ronch and carried through buried conduits to sustain the community.
Italian Version